The Write Road - The Parallax
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." The Lorax
(Listen to this article by clicking the player above)
If you’re a parent or grandparent (I am and I is), or a fan of Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Suess, you’ve probably read “The Lorax” (I have… over and over). Or watched the movie (yep, countless times).
It was an interesting way to teach children environmental responsibility. To understand the impact of pollution and the need to be aware of the role nature plays in our existence. And how, if we really try, we can bring the earth back from the brink of destruction.
Sounds simple and non-threatening, right? A youngsters’ book, for crying out loud!
But it wasn’t without controversy. In 1988, California banned the book because the government felt it portrayed the forestry industry in a bad light. In fact, the logging community responded by publishing their own book, The Truax, in an attempt to counter the effect and show how forestry was necessary.
The Lorax was also banned in other states and areas for various and sundry reasons.
But I’m not here today to talk about this whimsical character from Dr. Suess. I want to introduce you to another character, one I’ll call “The Parallax.”
While I’ve never met it in person, I imagine the Parallax looks something like this:
What is the Parallax?
The Parallax, or more precisely, the parallax effect is an amazing creature. It describes the anomaly or phenomenon where one thing may be perceived differently by those viewing it from different perspectives.
Here’s an example.
When I was working in the processing plant, one of my duties was to tend to the boiler. Part of that was to check and record the pressures and temperatures shown on the analog gauges. These gauges had needles that rotated, pointing to the reading, similar to a clock.
Sometimes I’d have a partner who would get a reading slightly different from mine.
This was usually the case when the other worker was somewhat taller than I. He read the gauge looking down at it, while I was taking the reading looking up.
In other words, we were reading the same gauge… from a different point of view!
It might be safe to say that we were both wrong to a degree. A precise reading could only be taken while looking directly at the gauge, on a direct line of sight.
Parallax effect: more common than you realize
The same experience can sometimes be found in artwork. Some paintings and art, on both canvas and photo, are designed to change their appearance as the patron walks by or views the creation from a different angle.
There is one portrait in our local gallery that seems to follow you with its eyes as you walk by!
The parallax effect is used for astounding results in photography and film making. A slight change in the camera’s position can cause objects in the foreground to appear or move more significantly than those in the background. This gives the photo or movie a feeling of depth, even though it’s a two-dimensional image.
Even in your own vision, the parallax effect is useful and even necessary. It’s the driving force behind depth perception.
Take just a minute to look at something, preferably in the distance, but you’ll see the same effect in objects across the room.
First, look at the object as you would normally. Then, look at it with just your left eye. Then, repeat with the right ocular orb. Then look at it again with both eyes.
Go ahead. Try it right now.
Don’t worry… I’ll wait.
You’re Back? Cool.
Did you notice any difference as you looked at it with both eyes, then one eye, and then the other?
I’m willing to bet you did. When viewing with one eye and then the other, the object appeared to change or shift position. Slightly, perhaps, but noticeably.
When you viewed again with both eyes, the object moved front and center. And… you were better able to judge its distance from you. That’s call the stereoscopic effect. It’s what gives us depth perception.
Some animals and birds, like the awesome pigeon, don’t have depth perception because of their eyeballs’ location. They have what is called monocular vision. To judge distance, they must turn their heads from side to side.
The parallax effect is used in many crafts and disciplines. We’ve talked about art and photography already. But this same principle is used in astronomy, virtual and augmented reality environments, and in distance calculations.
But, Steve! What in the world does this have to do with writing or copywriting?
So glad you asked. Because in a word…
Everything.
The parallax effect and writing
Remember a term I used above – point of view.
Point of view, aka perspective, is colored by our experiences. Our background… our upbringing, if you will. If you have a limited background, you will have a limited perspective.
I’m not saying necessarily a good or bad one. Just… limited.
And with a limited perspective, you’ll have a limited understanding by default. Once you widen your horizons, your worldview expands… sometimes exponentially.
Case in point.
I’m reading a book called “Four Lost Cities: a Secret History of the Urban Age” by Annalee Newitz. And it’s not only fascinating… it’s eye opening.
She’s an archeologist and this book concerns four cities lost to time for one reason or another. The cities are Çatalhöyük, Pompeii, Ankor, and Cahokia.
I’m in the midst of reading about Pompeii, the iconic city buried under the ash resulting from the eruption and pyroclastic blast from nearby Mount Vesuvius. That happened in 79 A.D.
However, it remained hidden from the world until it was rediscovered in the late 16th century.
“So, why is that important?” you might ask.
Before its rediscovery, our perspective—our point of view—of ancient Roman and Greek civilization was colored for the most part by what we knew of the aristocracy.
A very narrow point of view, to be sure.
Not only that, but much of what we “know” now is, in fact, based on the predilections and sensitivities of early 20th century historians and archaeologists.
For example, there’s a “Secret Cabinet” in the Naples Museum that hides sexually suggestive artwork from the era from visitors eyes. Only recently has it been open to the public.
The depictions on pottery and artwork were perceived as too vulgar and graphic for the unitiated public’s consumption.
Excavations at Pompeii are changing that perspective. They’re uncovering the attitudes toward sex that were a normal part of ancient life, rituals, even humor and sarcasm. And even bathroom rituals.
Archeologist at Pompeii are “digging up” even more information about the other classes, the slaves and Liberti (freedmen) in particular. And enlightening us about how the class system really worked in ancient Rome and its empire.
That new perspective, a more complete point of view, is rewriting history as we know it. A clearer point of view clarifies ages of misconception.
The same goes for modern writing.
Walk a mile in someone else’s eyeballs
Yeah, not just their shoes… they’re eyes.
That means you need to do some research. Maybe interview some people. Have the tough discussions. Get a little nervous and sweaty.
Step out of your own skin and discover what other people really think, and more importantly… why they think the way they do.
Honestly, that can be uncomfortable at times. You’ll hear perspectives that are polar opposites to your own way of thinking. You’ll hear stuff that catches you totally off guard, even shocks you. But…
You’ll be using the parallax effect to get the whole story, not just one side of the equation.
I’ve talked with folks who had an entirely different worldview than I. And while I may or may not have changed my feelings, I came away more empathetic, at the very least.
With honest discussion and a true attitude of learning, you’ll come away a better writer… and a better human.
I think understanding both sides of any argument are necessary in today’s world, particularly going forward here in the United States. No matter what you’re writing–opinion pieces or news articles–a keen understanding of the entire picture or event is crucial.
Without a full perspective, our writing is unnecessarily biased at the very least.
So, how does the parallax effect work for copywriters?
Use the parallax effect to discover the CEB
The CEB or Core Emotional Benefit is the real reason people buy a product or subscribe to a service.
Remember that people buy on emotion, backed up or justified by logic and reason. It’s not the other way round.
I didn’t buy the drill to power the drill bit to make the hole in the wall to hammer in the peg. I bought it because I wanted to hang my hat. But even more importantly, I’m a neat and tidy guy. Hanging the hat on the wall keeps things organized.
And I feel good about being organized.
A customer doesn’t buy the neuropathy remedy because their feet hurt and they want it to stop. They buy the neuropathy remedy because their feet hurt and it keeps them from running around with their grandkids and having a great time bonding with them.
And the joy of being with family, particularly the little ones, is why they buy the product. That is the core emotional benefit.
It’s all about outcomes. Not the relief from an illness or a problem or a challenge.
But the core emotional benefit, the feeling that the purchase and solution provides.
If you don’t know or understand what the desired outcome is, your copy will be flat, lifeless, and probably useless. You need to dig deeper by asking “so what” after each benefit you discover until there are no more “so whats” to give.
Find the people who need your product and ask the hard questions.
Get out of yourself and view the world from the other person’s point of view. In a sense, close one eye, and then the other.
And when you open them both, you’ll see the whole picture in perspective… and you will finally understand. Only then you can begin to write persuasively.
The parallax effect. Don’t write another word without it.
Till next time!
Steve M.